Living in Opanda, Adani, Ogurugu and indeed other remote communities in Uzo-Uwani local government area of Enugu has been seen as living in the lion’s den.
WITHIN NIGERIA findings showed that for over a decade now, insecurity has become a major source of concern for both residents and travellers along the roads in these communities.
In the recent time especially between 2023 to 2025, more than one hundred persons have lost their life to kidnapping incidents along Adani Nsukka road even as more than two hundred persons have abducted along the road.
Nevertheless, our reporter gathered that of all the economic sector affected by the rising insecurity in these communities, education is the worst hit, followed by transportation.
Our regathered that more than 90% of public school teachers in these communities live in Nsukka town, about 60km away from their working place. This is due to insecurity and lack of social amenities that have continued to bedevil Uzo-Uwani as a council area.
Chijioke Attama is a teacher at Social Welfare Secondary School Opanda, Uzo-Uwani local government area. He told our reporter that since how he narrowly escaped gunshot by the kidnappers.
“Sometime in June 2024, I was going to school. We boarded a vehicle going back to Onitsha, Anambra state from Barracks junction, Nsukka. The journey was going smoothly until we got to a place called Ekoru stream, few kilometres away from Opanda community. From nowhere, we saw a sienna vehicle, about 500 metres away from us being attacked, all the passengers abducted by kidnappers.”
Narrating further, Mr Attama narrated that ” our vehicle stopped. We jumped from the vehicle and ran inside bush, panting and praying that we will not be attacked too.”
According to him, “after the incident, I started seeking for transfer from the school, all to no avail until parents of these students packed out of the community and relocated to another place. This led to the closure of Social Welfare Secondary School Opanda.
“As I speak with you here, the school is no longer functional and the teachers have been posted to other schools. Currently, I am at Nrobo secondary school.”
By and large, at Uzo-Uwani Secondary School, the compound has become a ghost school as no teacher or student was seen at the school premises at about 10am when our reporter visited the iconic school.
Grace Eze was a teacher at Uzo-Uwani Secondary School, she told our reporter through telephone call that the school has been closed down due to incessant kidnapping incidents in the front of the school
“For the past two years, there has been increasing incidents of kidnapping and killings around the school. Apart from that, the security of teachers and students both to and fro the school is not guaranteed.
“We had write to the state government and they had to make some investigation and ascertained the veracity of the claim. Then, the school was temporarily shut down, pending when the security improves.”
Explaining further, she said that ” we, the teachers were then transfered to other secondary schools around the area with less security risks.”
On the fate of the students, Mrs. Eze told WITHIN NIGERIA that many of them have transfered to private schools while those who couldn’t afford the exorbitant fees of these schools dropped out.”
At Ogurugu secondary school, the story is still the same. Teachers have been transfered to other school following the closure of the school over rising insecurity in the area.
WITHIN NIGERIA findings showed that in the late 2024, some hoodlums were using the school premises as their hideout.
Following this ugly development, some teachers who mostly resided in Nsukka town wrote to the state government, seeking for their transfer.
Janeth Ugwuoke was Physics teacher at the school. She told our reporter that it was indeed a bad moment for both the teachers and students of the school.
According to Mrs Ugwuoke ” we have been having threats of abduction in the area. Remember that one of our teachers in the primary school section was kidnapped by hoodlums along Ogurugu/Adani road.”
Narrating further, she stated that “countless number of persons has either been killed or kidnapped along this road. This has also led to many commuters avoiding this road.
“The state government has to temporarily close down the school because of the rising insecurity in the area. For now, all our teachers have been transfered to different schools.”
WITHIN NIGERIA findings showed that not only public schools were affected. Many private schools in these areas have also been shut by their owners due to escalating cases of insecurity.
Our reporter also gathered that equally affected were public primary schools as their teachers have either quit teaching or transfered to other schools with less security risks
In any case, all efforts to get the reaction of the state commissioner for Education, Prof. Ndubueze Mbah to his reaction on the matter proved abortive as his phone number could not be reached.
